1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive steering rack-stroke adjusting device and more particularly to an automotive steering rack-stroke adjusting device with which a driver can conveniently control the range of a steering rack-stroke as required for changing a minimum rotation radius, thereby providing convenience for the driver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In driving an auto vehicle, a driver makes frequent U turns. In case of a vehicle with a large minimum rotation radius, a U turn cannot be completed by one trial, but with several adjustments, which brings about inconvenience and disruption in driving, an aggravating a problem during traffic congestion.
Recently, there has been introduced a model of a large passenger vehicle with an entire length of over 5000 mm in addition to large-scale cargo trucks or family vans, thereby worsening the aforementioned problem of making a U turn.
In addition, the problem as such gets more serious with any vehicles with front engine and front wheel drives because the engine is horizontally positioned to occupy a large space of the engine room, so that it gets difficult to accommodate a steering space for setting up a steering angle of the front wheel.
Furthermore, according to a conventional method for setting up a rack-stroke of a steering gear box for steering operations, the rack-stroke is set up to maintain a gap from side members of a body and the related parts to the minimum assumed that a maximum cross-sectional size of a tire is measured under a worst driving condition where a snow chain is wound at a front wheel (driving wheel).
However, there is a problem in that if the rack-stroke of a steering gear box is set up as described above, a rotation size of a wheel is made with an overall surface including a largest tire utilized or a snow chain mounted to a regular tire, such that in case of using only a regular tire or a tire without a snow chain to the regular tire, the gap to an actually interfering object point gets bigger.
There is another problem in that the aforementioned problem occurs when a U turn is made in the course of a regular driving at a low speed in a city, and in most cases, although a steering handle can be allowed to make a further wider turn, the rack-stroke is set up at its worst condition.
Particularly, although the minimum rotation radius is a factor to significantly affect the quality of a product like large passenger cars or any other front driving vehicles, the rack-stroke of steering gear box is still inefficiently constructed as described above.
Therefore, the present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problem and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automotive steering rack-stroke adjusting device with which a driver can conveniently control the range of a steering rack-stroke as required for changing a minimum rotation radius, thereby providing convenience for the driver.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned object of the present invention, there is provided an automotive steering rack-stroke adjusting device comprising:
a rotational body rotatably arranged at both ends of a power cylinder of a steering system;
a stop plate fixed at a rack for inserting or overlapping to the center of the rotational body according to the rotational state of the rotational body when a rack is pulled toward the power cylinder to a maximum extent; and
an actuator for rotating the rotational body back and forth under the control of a control unit is manipulated by a driver with an operational switch, the operational switch being operable independently of a steering wheel of the steering system.